AIG life insurance--like all life insurance--offers you a way to protect your family from the loss of your business income when you die. If you are a small business owner, life insurance is especially vital since your business debts and expenses (as well as your estate expenses) will fall upon your family. To decide how much life insurance you should buy, calculate how much your family will need in order to live comfortably, and how long they'll need that extra cash. (Two years is the average time frame.) Next, subtract any monies your family will make on their own, and don't neglect to consider your business debts, which will fall upon your family.

AIG (American International Group) life insurance company is a good choice for many because AIG is a reliable, well-respected company considered a world leader in insurance. With AIG company insurance, life, retirement and many other types of insurance may be purchased through their operations in over 130 countries. So how do you complete your AIG life insurance company research?

1. Research AIG life insurance information online.

2. Get an AIG life insurance quote.

3. Buy AIG life insurance directly from AIG or through another source.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Research AIG life insurance and customer satisfaction reviews

A smart shopper knows that before you buy any product, it's an excellent idea to do research on it. That research should include reading customer reviews. Fortunately, there are a number of sites that allow you to see customer responses to AIG.

I recommend: FreeAdvice provides graphs and pie charts of AIG customer satisfaction, plus customer comments, both positive and negative. Topinsurance.org also showcases customer reviews, including specific, starred ratings for coverage, cost, customer service and claims. In addition, Viewpoints Network offers customer reviews of AIG insurance.

Obtain an AIG life insurance quote

The next step is to secure a quote for AIG insurance. You may either do this on the phone or in person with an AIG insurance agent. Or go online; AIG life insurance quotes are quick and easy to obtain through the company's web form.

I recommend: You can request a quote directly from AIG life insurance online; the process takes about two minutes. Or you can visit Insure.com and compare life insurance rates from AIG and 29 other top insurance companies.

Purchase life insurance from AIG

If you have additional questions about coverage, it's best to contact your local AIG life insurance agent. You may also contact this agent directly in order to purchase your policy, or you may allow AIG to contact one of their agents and have him or her call you. In addition, it's possible to have an intermediary company contact AIG for you.

I recommend: InsuranceLister.com offers a directory of AIG life insurance agents, state by state. Simply click on your state to find an agent in your area who can help you purchase your life insurance policy. You may also wish to buy your AIG life insurance through an intermediary like IntelliQuote Insurance Services, which provides quotes, then allows you to buy.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Most experts recommend buying AIG term life insurance, not whole life insurance. With term life insurance, you're covered for particular benefits for a specific period. Term is also less expensive than whole life. Whole life benefits are not only expensive, they're considered iffy; experts say you're better off investing your money elsewhere.